The Little Merwitch
by boop-oop-ee-doo
Summary: Sophie hears the story of Tara, a young mermaid who falls for the human Princess Willow, strongly disaproved by her brother, King Angel. To be with Willow, Tara is forced to strike a deal with the evil Glory- her voice in exchange for three days on land.
1. A Tale Of The Bottomless Blue

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Sophie.

AN: Okay, so it was a close vote, but 'The Little Mermaid' won, which is good cause I was kinda leaning towards it anyway, I just wanted to give you all a chance to choose. For those who wanted "Toy Story", I promise to do that one next. Oh, and my King Triton is my Ariel's older brother instead of her dad, and a few Angel characters have had to take fairly major roles so I could have everyone playing who I wanted them to play. And this kind of takes place inbetween 'Dawn's Magical Mishaps' and 'Family Reunion'.

* * *

"So" said Tara as she tucked her daughter into bed, settling down beside her and letting a hand rest on her growing baby belly (she had just reached the five-month mark), "My turn to tell your bedtime story again, huh?"

"Uh-huh" Sophie grinned, nodding.

"This is a really good one" Tara smiled, before beginning. "Once upon a time, there were two Princesses. One of them lived on land like any normal person, but she liked to go out sailing. The other one, the one this story is really about, was a mermaid, so she lived under the sea.."

* * *

It was a wonderful day at sea, the sun was shining, the water was a perfect blue, and a group of sailors sang happily as they worked on their ship.

Sailors: **_I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue_**

**_And it's hey to the starboard,_**

**_Heave ho!_**

**_Look out girl,_**

**_A mermaid is waiting for you in mysterious fathoms below!_**

On the deck of the ship, a young woman with fiery red hair and emerald green eyes took a deep breath of salty sea air, smiling. She was the Princess Willow. Miss Kitty Fantastico, a small black and white cat sitting beside the Princess, mirrored her actions, mewing happily.

"Isn't this wonderful?" Willow beamed. "The salty air, wind blowing in your face.. The perfect day to be at sea, right Wesley?" she asked, turning to her chief attendant, a stuffy looking young British man who was currently throwing up over the side of the boat.

"Yes" he said sarcastically, wiping his mouth and attempting to straighten himself up. "Very pleasant." Willow just laughed at him, and walked a little way down the ship to a one-eyed sailor named Xander, who was also her best friend, and helped him tie a rope.

"We've got a fair wind and a nice calm sea" Xander smiled. "Looks like King Angel is happy today."

"King who?" asked Willow, confused.

"King Angel" chuckled another sailor, Spike, as he approached with a net full of freshly caught fish, many of them still flipping around. "He's the ruler of the merpeople, all other sea creatures too. I thought everybody new about him."

"Merpeople, really" said Wesley, rolling his eyes. "Willow, don't listen to this nautical nonsense, it'll rot your brain." Willow just chuckled, crouching down to pat Miss Kitty who had been rubbing against her legs.

"Nautical nonsense or not, it's the truth!" said Spike, grabbing a fish and waving it in Wesley's face. "They're all bloody down there in the deep blue, I know it!"

"How can you be so sure?" Xander smirked. "I've never seen one."

"You stay out of this, you bloody.." as Spike began his threat, he let the fish slip from his hand, sending it flying over the side of the ship. "Oops." Underwater, the fish wiped its brow, relieved, and swam away to safety.

* * *

As it turned out, Spike was right, merpeople did exist. The fish that had escaped the ship joined a group of them, and other sea creatures, swimming towards a brilliant golden castle, the home of King Angel himself, to attend a concert starring his younger sisters.

Once all the King's subjects had gathered within the large theatre inside the castle, a green skinned, red horned merdemon named Lorne swam out, blowing a trumpet to gain the audience's attention.

"Good morning citizens of Atlantica" he grinned. "Announcing the arrival of our amazing, glorious, dearly beloved leader, King Angel!" The King entered the theatre in a shell-shaped carriage pulled by dolphins. The orchestra played a huge fanfare, and he used his trident, the symbol of his leadership, to fire a burst of colourful sparks into the air, making the crowd cheer, before moving to sit in the throne in the centre of the audience. "And uh, our most distinguished court composer, Mr Rupert Giles" added Lorne with a lot less enthusiasm. The fanfare faded to the sound of a lone kazoo as a glases-wearing crab entered the theatre in a much smaller carriage pulled by some sardines. The audience clapped half-heartedly.

"So nice to feel appreciated" said Giles, rolling his eyes at the crowd. Thankfully, there was at least one person present who did appreciate the composer.

"I'm really looking forward to this performance, Giles" Angel smiled.

"Your Majesty, this is going to be the finest concert I have ever conducted. "Your sisters will be spectacular."

"Especially little Tara" Angel grinned. 'Little' Tara had just turned eighteen, but as she was the youngest in the family, Angel was extra protective of her and somewhat reluctant to accept that she was growing up.

"Yes, she has an amazing voice" said Giles, turning around and mumbling to himself as he swam to the conductor's podium, "If only the girl would just turn up at rehearsals once in a while.." He shook his head to clear his mind, then tapped the podium with his baton, prompting the orchestra to begin playing. Two large clam shells rose up from the floor of the theatre, each one opening to reveal three girls, six in all. They were King Angel's sisters.

Girls:** _Oh, we are the sisters of Angel_**

_**Great brother who loves us and raised us well**_

_**Cordelia**_

Cordelia:** _La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la_**

Girls:_** Kendra**_

Kendra:** _La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la_**

Girls: _**And Harmony**_

Harmony:** _La-la-la-la_**

Girls:** _Anne_**

Anne:** _La-la-la-la_**

Girls:_ **Kate**_

Kate:** _La-la-la-la_**

Girls:_** And Nina**_

Nina:** _La-la-la-la_**

Girls: _**And then there is the youngest in her musical debut**_

**_Our seventh __little sister, _**

**_We're presenting her to you_**

Another shell, larger than the others, rose up in the centre of the stage.

**_To sing a song that Giles __wrote, _**

**_Her voice is like a bell,_**

**_She's our sister, Tar__..._**

The shell opened, empty, and the sisters gasped.

"TARA!" Angel roared, furious.

* * *

"Uh-oh" said Sophie. "I think story-you is in big, big, trouble Mama Tara."


	2. Tara And The Guppy

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Sophie.

* * *

"Yes, she is" Tara chuckled.

"Mama Tara, are merpeoples really real?" asked Sophie.

"Uh.." Tara paused, thinking for a moment. "You know, I'm not entirely sure. I'll look into it for you, okay?"

"Okay" Sophie smiled. "So, why wasn't story-you at her concert Mama Tara?"

"Well.."

* * *

Swimming through the sea far away from the castle was a young mermaid with long, silky blonde hair and wide blue eyes, with a pink duffel bag slung over her shoulder. Her tail was a soft lavender colour, and she wore a bikini top made from pale blue shells. She was Princess Tara, the youngest of King Angel's seven sisters. Tara suddenly seemed to realise that she was missing something, and turned to see her companion, another mermaid with dark hair, brown eyes, and a red tail and bikini top, lagging behind. She was Fred, Tara's best friend.

"Come on Fred, hurry up!" Tara called to her.

"Just slow down for a second Tara!" Fred called back. "You know I can't swim as fast as you!" Tara chuckled, but obliged, and once her friend had caught up the two of them swam on together until they reached a long forgotten sunken ship.

"Isn't it amazing?" Tara beamed as she swam closer.

"Yeah, it's great" said Fred nervously. "Can we go home now?"

"You're not scared are you?" Tara chuckled.

"Scared? No, of course not!" said Fred quickly. "But uh, it does look pretty damp in there, and dark, and we have no idea what creatures live around here.."

"You kinda have a point.. Tell you what" Tara smirked as she swam off towards the ship, "I'll go take a quick look around, and you stay here and keep a look out for sharks."

"Okay" said Fred, momentarily relieved before tensing up once again. "Sharks?" she yelped, panicking as the turned to see Tara's tail disappearing "Tara, wait up!" she quickly swam after her friend, but the strap of her top became caught on a broken plank as she entered the ship. "Um, Tara? I'm a little stuck." Tara laughed and helped her. "Thanks" said Fred, a little embarassed. "So Tara, you, uh, don't think there are actually any sharks around here, do you?"

"Fred, stop being such a guppy!" Tara laughed.

"I'm not a guppy!" Fred cried, sticking close buy the Princess as she began to explore the ship, neither one of them noticing that a shark actually _did_ swim by outside. "If I was, would I be saying how great this is? 'Cause I really love this. Adventure, excitement, danger lurking around every.." she spotted a skeleton, gave a frightened squeak, and caught up to Tara, who had swum ahead into the next room on the ship. Searching through the various debris scattered around the room, the Princess had found a fork (though she had no idea that this was what it was) which, aside from some minor rusting, was none the worse for wear for it's ordeal.

"Look at this, Fred" said Tara in awe. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"It is kinda pretty" Fred agreed. "Do you know what it is?"

"Not a clue" Tara grinned, shoving the fork into her bag, "But I'm sure Anya would know." Fred heard a sudden growl, and gulped.

"What was that?"

"I'm sure it's nothing, Fred" said Tara who was not really paying attention, having become distracted by the pipe she had just found. At the sound of another growl, Fred turned, finding herself faced with a pair of dark, beady eyes and a mouth full of very sharp teeth.

"T-Tara!"

"What is it now?" Tara turned, mildly annoyed, then gasped when she found the problem.

"SHARK!" Fred screamed.

* * *

"Tara really should have just goed to her concert, shouldn't she?" said Sophie.


	3. Anya The Human Expert

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Sophie.

* * *

"Oh, I'm not really sure about that Sweetie" Tara smiled.

"Why?" Sophie frowned.

"Well, if Tara had gone to her concert, there wouldn't have been a story."

"There still won'ts be a story if she gets eated by a shark straight away" Sophie pouted, crossing her arms.

"I guess that's my cue to just get on with it, huh?" Tara smirked. Her daughter nodded, so Tara obliged.

* * *

"Swim for it!" Tara yelled, as she and Fred made a break for the next level of the ship, the sharks destructive jaws snapping along behind them..

"Oh God, oh God, we're gonna die!" screamed Fred as the shark gradually destroyed the ship with it's crashing and crunching. Her top became caught on a broken piece of wood once again, but Tara quickly freed her, and the pair swam on out of the ship. Unfortunately, the shark was still following them. Tara swam in zigzag motions trying to lose it, and this confused the creature enough that Tara thought it was safe for she and Fred to try and make a break for it. But, during this break for freedom, Fred panicked and crashed headfirst into the ship's mast, leaving her dazed and at the mercy of the shark.

"Hang on Fred!" cried Tara, who had swum a little way ahead from her friend. "I'm coming!" The mermaid Princess rushed back and dragged Fred to safety, just in the nick of time.

"Thanks for saving me, Tara" said Fred, shaking her head to clear the daze.

"We're not out of trouble yet!" said Tara, indicating the shark still in pursuit. Luckily, she had a plan. Just as the shark's jaws were about to close over her tail, Tara swam through a hoop of iron on the ship's anchor. The shark tried to follow, but the hoop was too small and it got stuck. "That'll teach ya" Tara teased as she swam away. Fred blew a rasberry at the shark, but it snapped at her and she yelped in fright, quickly catching up to Tara. "Fred" Tara chuckled, "You are such a.."

"Please don't start on the guppy thing again" Fred sighed.

* * *

A little while later, Anya, a young demon woman who lived on a small island on the surface, hummed a little tune to herself while gazing out to sea with a pair of binoculars. Unfortunately, she was using them backwards. A short distance away, which seemed like a long one to Anya, Tara and Fred broke the water's surface.

"Whoa, mermaids off the port bow!" cried Anya. "Tara, how you doin' kid? Come on over!" She put down her binoculars to find that the two mermaids had already reached her island. "Wow, what a swim!"

"You bet it was, Anya" Tara chuckled, slipping her duffel bag off of her shoulder and placing it on the sand. "You'll never believe what we found!"

"Uh-huh, we were in this sunken ship, and it was really scary" said Fred, "But Tara found some more human stuff."

"Human stuff huh?" said Anya, picking up the duffel bag and looking inside, before pulling out the fork. "Ooh, look at this. Very interesting."

"What is it?" asked Tara in awe.

"This" said Anya, who happened to be a self-proclaimed expert on all things human, "Is a dinglehopper."

"Wow!" said Tara.

"What's a dinglehopper?" Fred frowned.

"Humans use it to straighten their hair" Anya explained.

"Really?" asked Tara, fascinated.

"They sure did" said Anya, sticking the fork in her hair and twirling it around. "Allow me to give you a demonstration." When she pulled the fork out, all the demon had really managed to do was turn her hair into a tangled mess, but neither she nor Tara knew that. "And there you have it, a wonderful hairstyle that humans go crazy for."

"Wow" said Tara, taking the fork as though it was precious as a diamond and placing it gently back in the duffel bag, before pulling out the pipe and handing it to Anya. "What's this one?"

"Well this one I haven't seen for a long time!" said Anya. "It's called a banded, bulbous, snarfblat!"

"It sounds wonderful" Tara sighed. Fred didn't think it sounded that great at all, but Tara accepted her quirks, so she accepted Tara's. That was why they were such good friends, despite their differing personalities.

"This dates back to prehistoric times" Anya continued, "Back when all humans used to do was stare at each other all day long. Anya leaned right up to Tara's face, staring with wide unblinking eyes.

"I uh, think I get the point" said Tara, gently pushing her away. Anya really didn't care for personal space. "Sounds kinda boring."

"You bet it was boring!" said Anya. "That's why they invented the snarfblat, so they could play music." Tara's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered something.

"Music?"

"Yep, you just.." Anya put the end of the pipe in her mouth and blew, forcing a small amount of sand and sea water out of it. "Damn, it's blocked.."

"Uh-oh" said Tara, panicking. "The concert!"

"The concert was today?" Fred cried, distressed.

"My brother is going to kill me!" groaned Tara, snatching the pipe from Anya as she tried to unblock it. "Sorry Anya, got to go! See you later!"

"Anytime, kid!" Anya yelled as the mermaids disappeared below the surface. "Always happy to have you!"

* * *

"Anya's funny" Sophie giggled.

"Yeah" said Tara with a small smile. "She was."


	4. Tara's New Babysitter

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Sophie.

AN: I know some of you might think that I should have used some of Glory's minions, but I think Flotsam and Jetsam are actually some of the more sinister Disney Villain sidekicks, so I thought Darla and Dru fit that requirement better.

* * *

"What happened next, Mama Tara?" asked Sophie excitedly.

"Well, Tara didn't know it, but she and Fred were being watched.."

* * *

As Tara and Fred dove back under water and swam for home as fast as they could, Darla and Drusilla, two mervampires who had been spying on the girls, quickly dove too and hid in a nearby patch of kelp to continue their watch. They were not, as you would expect, out for a meal. They were in fact the loyal minions of Glory, the banished Hell-God of the sea who, with the help of a magical crystal ball, was watching the Princess through their eyes..

* * *

"That's right, hurry on home, Sweetie" said Glory mockingly as she watched the crystal ball inside her dark, dank, dreary cave, situated a long way from Angel's beautiful castle. Unlike the beautiful tails of the merpeople, the lower half of her body consisted of red octopus tentacles. "You wouldn't want to miss your big brother's celebration now would you?" She scoffed. "Celebration, ha! When I lived at the palace we had real celebrations, fantastic feasts almost every night! But now look at me!" The Hell-God lamented flopping into a nearby stone chairand stuffing a handful of shrimp into her mouth, thereby lessening the impact of her next statement a little, and even more so with the fact that she looked in no-way under-nourished. "Wasting away to practically nothing! It's not fair! Me banished, exiled, and starving while he and his silly little fish-folk celebrate!" Glory paused, an evil grin spreading over her face. "Well, soon that dim-witted King Angel will really have something to celebrate, and revenge will be mine!" she cackled. The Hell-God smirked as she heard her minions returning. "Darla, Drusilla!" she called, startling her minions by already knowing of their presence. Darla bumped her head on a rock as she rushed into the cave.

"Ouch!" she yelped. Dru giggled madly and Darla glared at her, before turning to Glory. "You called, Mistress?"

"Yes" said Glory seriously, glancing back at the crystal ball, in which Tara could still be viewed swimming madly back to the palace. She grinned wickedly. "I want you girls to keep an eye on Angel's precious little sister. She may be the key to his undoing.."

* * *

Once Tara arrived back at the palace, she recieved a scolding from her older brother, and, of course, the royal composer.

"Tara, I just don't know what to do with you" the King sighed.

"I'm sorry, Angel" said Tara, head bowed. "I really am. I just.. forgot."

"Because of your careless behaviour.."

"Careless _and _reckless behaviour!" Giles added, interrupting.

"Yes" Angel nodded, continuing, "The concert was.."

"Ruined!" cried Giles in despair. "Wrecked, completely wrecked! The entire concert was destroyed!" He threw his arms in the air. "A catastrophe! A disaster, young lady, that's what it was! This concert was supposed to be the most extinguishing work of my career, but now I am the laughing stock of the entire kingdom! I hope you're happy, you, you.. CONCERT WRECKER!"

"It wasn't her fault, sir" Fred piped up, moving out from behind her friend. The other girl hadn't spoken since she and Tara returned, and Angel and Giles turned to her as if surprised to find her there. The sudden attention made Fred nervous. "You see, there was this _huge _shark and it had rows and rows of _really _sharp teeth, and it went after us."

"That's true" Tara nodded, smiling at her friend's explanation.

"And then, then the shark was like 'grr!' and then I was like 'Ahh!', but Tara was like 'Swim for it!'" Fred continued. "And we were trying to get away from it, but we couldn't, but then the shark got stuck, but it still tried to take another snap at us, and we were like 'Whoa!' but it missed, so we escaped.." Tara smirked, trying not to laugh out loud at the other girl's version of events. Unfortunately, it was now that Fred made her big mistake. "And then there was the demon, going 'this is this' and that is that.."

"Demon?" Angel growled.

"Fred!" cried Tara, majorly annoyed. Fred just yelped, hiding behind her as King Angel glared at them.

"You went up to the surface again, didn't you?" he said angrily. "Didn't you?"

"Nothing happened.." said Tara quietly.

"Tara, how many times to we have to go through this?" yelled Angel exasperatedly. "You could have been seen by one of those.. those savages!"

"What savages?" asked Tara confused.

"Humans!" Angel shouted.

"They're not savages!"

"They're dangerous, Tara! Don't you remember what happened to Mom and Dad?"

"That was an accident.."

"I don't care!" Angel growled. "Do you think I want to see my little sister snared by some fish eater's hook?"

"I'm eighteen years old Angel, I'm not a little kid anymore!" Tara cried. "You don't get to decide what's best for me!"

"As long as you live under my ocean, you will obey my rules!" Angel yelled.

"But Angel.."

"Not another word! I am never, _ever _to hear of you going to the surface again, Tara" said Angel angrily. "Do I make myself clear?" Tara glared at her brother, then burst into tears, fleeing from the throne room with a concerned Fred close behind her. Angel flopped into his throne, sighing.

"Hmmph, children these days" said Giles, rolling his eyes. "Always seem to think they know better than adults. Really, give them an inch, and they'll swim all over you!"

"You don't think I was too harsh on her?" the King asked, a little worried.

"Oh, not at all Your Highness" said Giles. "Why, if Tara was _my _younger sibling, I'd make sure to keep a close watch on her, keep her on a short leash.."

"Short leash.." said Angel, considering.

"100 % under control" Giles nodded.

"Giles, you are absolutely right!" said Angel grinning.

"What?" said Giles, mildly surprised.

"Tara needs constant supervision" said Angel.

"Of course, constant" Giles agreed.

"Someone to watch over her, keep her out of trouble while I attend to important matters.."

"A splendid idea sir."

"I'm glad you think so Giles, because you're the man for the job!" Angel beamed.

"Of course, I.. What?" cried Giles in horror.

* * *

"This should be good" Sophie grinned.


	5. Part Of Your World

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Sophie.

AN: Let me just point out how much I_ loved _writing this chapter, because 'Part Of Your World' is one of my favourite Disney songs ever!

* * *

"Yes, this will be good" Tara chuckled. "Not for Giles, though. He wasn't very happy at all.."

* * *

"This is just ridiculous!" Giles muttered to himself, after catching up to Tara and Fred and swimming a little way behind them, not wanting to be seen just yet. "I should be writing music, not playing babysitter to some hormonal teenager! What does the King think I am, a nanny?" He paused, frowning as Tara and Fred disappeared into a rocky grotto. "Just where are those girls going?"

* * *

The grotto was Tara's secret hiding place for her ever growing collection of human objects. Once inside, she flopped down on a rock, sighing.

"Are you okay Tara?" asked Fred, concerned, sitting beside her friend.

"Oh, Fred" said Tara sadly, "If only I could make Angel understand. I don't see things the way he does. I just don't know how a world that makes such beautiful things.. could be bad." At that moment, Giles swam quietly intothe grotto, hiding behind a barrel as he looked around in horror. Tara got up, running her hands over some of her collection.

Tara: **_Look at this stuff,_**

**_Isn't it neat?_**

**_Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?_**

**_Wouldn't you think I'm the girl, _**

**_The girl who has everything?_**

The Princess stopped to place her newly acquired 'dinglehopper' in a rusty old menorah which already had a knife and spoon in the places where it's oil or candles should be.

**_Look at this trove, _**

**_Treasures untold,_**

**_How many wonders can one cavern hold?_**

**_Looking around here you'd think,_**

**_Sure._**

Tara shrugged.

**_She's got everything._**

**_I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty,_**

**_I've got whozits and whatzits galore._**

**_You want thingamabobs?_**

She picked up a box full of corkscrews, showing it to Fred.

**_I've got twenty._**

Tara chuckled, then sighed and set the box down.

**_But who cares?_**

**_No big deal,_**

**_I want more!_**

Tara gazed longingly at an old painting of humans dancing, and Giles frowned in his hiding place, not liking where this was going at all.

**_I wanna be where the people are,_**

**_I wanna see,_**

**_Wanna see 'em dancing!_**

**_Running around on those.._**

"What do you call them?" Tara frowned. Fred thought for a moment, then grinned, wriggling her fins, and Tara smiled. "Oh, feet."

**_Flippin' your fins you won't get to far,_**

**_Legs are required for jumpin', dancin!_**

**_Walking along down the.._**

"What's that word again?" Tara paused, before remembering.

_**Street!**_

_**Up where they walk,**_

_**Up where they run,**_

_**Up where they play all day in the sun, **_

_**Wandering free,**_

_**Wish I could be,**_

_**Part of that world!**_

Tara sighed again, looking out the top of the grotto to the water's surface.

_**What would I give,**_

_**If I could live out of these waters?**_

_**What would I pay,**_

_**To spend a day warm on the sand?**_

She frowned, thinking of her brother.

**_Betcha on land,_**

**_They understand,_**

**_And they don't reprimand their sisters,_**

**_Bright young women,_**

**_Sick of swimmin',_**

**_Ready to stand!_**

Tara swam over to a book case, taking one out and flipping through it's pages, reaching a picture of a candle and showing it to Fred.

**_I'm ready to know what the people know,_**

**_Ask them my questions,_**

**_And get some answers!_**

**_What is a fire?_**

**_And why does it.._**

**_What's the word?_**

**_Burn!_**

**_When's it my turn?_**

**_Wouldn't I love?_**

**_Love to explore that shore up above!_**

Tara closed the book, sighing sadly.

**_Out of the sea,_**

**_Wish I could be.._**

**_Part of that world!_**

As Tara's song ended, Giles, in a panic over everything he had just seen and heard, and, how Angel would react to it, knocked over the barrel, along with a jewellery box, scattering it's contents over the floor.

"Giles!" Tara gasped

"Tara, what in your brother's name are you.. how could you.. What is all this?" the crab sputtered.

"How are you today Giles?" asked Fred sweetly.

"Oh, very well thank you Winifred, I.. Don't change the subject!" he snapped, turning back to Tara. "Young lady, you are going to tell me what the blazes is going on here, right now!"

"It's just my collection" Tara shrugged innocently.

"I see, your collection.." Giles admired a pearl necklace for a moment, then threw it away, remembering the task at hand. "If your brother knew about this place, he would.."

"You're not going to tell him, are you?" cried Tara. "Please don't! Angel would never understand! Please Giles, please, _please_, don't tell him!"

"Tara, you're under a lot of pressure, aren't you dear?" Giles sighed, taking her hand. "How about we just head back to the palace for a nice cold drink and forget this ever.." The crab was innterrupted when a large something at the surface cast a shadow into the grotto.

"What do you suppose that is?" asked Tara curious, as Fred hid behind her.

"Oh, just a human ship.." said Giles absentmindedly.

"A human ship, huh?" Tara grinned, gently releasing herself from Giles' grip and grabbing Fred's arm, pulling the much less enthusiastic mermaid along with her as she swam for the surface.

"Yes.. wait, no!" cried Giles, realising his slip, and swimming quickly after them. "Tara, come back here! Tara!"

* * *

"Poor Giles" Sophie giggled.


	6. Love At First Sight

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Sophie.

* * *

"Yes, poor Giles" Tara grinned. "Princess Tara wasn't making his job very easy, was she?"

"Nope" Sophie giggled. "Did he catch her before she gots to the surface?"

"No" Tara replied, shaking her head. "A mermaid can swim a lot faster than a crab.."

* * *

Tara broke the water's surface, pulling a very reluctant Fred up with her. There, a short distance away, was the ship, which, unbeknownst to Tara, was the very same ship belonging to Princess Willow and her crew. Music drifted from the ship, and fireworks were shooting into the air.

"Wow" gasped Tara in awe, as the sparks rained down. "Come on, Fred!" she grinned, swimming eagerly towards the ship. "Let's go take a closer look!" Fred hesitated for a moment, then followed. After all, if humans were really as dangerous as King Angel said, she couldn't let her best friend go alone. A few seconds later, Giles arrived at the surface himself, gasping in horror when he saw where they were headed.

"Tara!" he yelled desperately. "Tara, come back here this instant, do you here me? This instant, young lady!" Unfortunately, Tara had already reached the ship, and the poor crab sighed in defeat. "The King is going to kill me.."

* * *

Tara peeked through the railings onto the ship's deck, glancing around in amazement.

"Wow" she gasped again. Then, she spotted a strange looking furry creature headed in her direction, and quickly ducked. She waited a few seconds, then, peeking back up to check if the creature had passed, found herself face to face with it. The 'creature' of course, was Miss Kitty Fantastico. The cat cocked it's head at Tara as if considering her, then purred an licked the mermaid's nose, making her giggle.

"Miss Kitty!" a young female voice called. "Miss Kitty, where are you?" Miss Kitty Fantastico ran to the source of the voice, mewing happily. "There you are" Willow smiled, as her feline companion rubbed against her legs. "I've got something special for you." She knelt down beside the cat, scratching it behind the ears as she offered it a dried fish treat. The Princess of the sea's heart skipped a beat as she laid eyes on her land-dwelling counterpart for the first time. Tara had always thought humans were wonderful, but this one with her fiery red hair and amazing emerald green eyes.. well, she was something else entirely. The Princess was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard a familiar voice beside her.

"Hey there, Tara!" Anya grinned as she appeared beside her, one hand grabbing onto the ship while the other clung to the glider which she often used to get around. It also helped her keep up with the flock of sea gulls she had befriended.

"Anya, please, keep it down" said Tara, frowning out her friend. "They'll hear you!"

"Oh, I see, we're being intrepidatious" Anya smirked. She puffed out her chest, yelling loudly. "We're out to discover!"

"Anya!" Tara snapped, clapping a hand over the demon's mouth and pulling her out of sight, "Shut up!"

"Sorry" said Anya sheepishly. When Tara decided it was safe, she and Anya moved to look back onto the deck. Willow was now playing a flute, while Miss Kitty pranced around at her feet.

"I've never seen a human this close before" said Tara, gazing adoringly at the other Princess. In that moment, Tara knew. Part of her had known the second she had laid eyes on Willow. She was in love. "Isn't she beautiful?"

"I don't know" Anya frowned, looking at Miss Kitty Fantastico. "Seems a little hairy to me.."

"Not that one!" Tara rolled her eyes, tilting Anya's head so they were both looking at Willow. "Her, the one playing the Snarfblat" she sighed dreamily. At that moment, Wesley, having temporarily recovered from his seasickness, walked on to the deck.

"Attention, everyone!" he called. "Quiet, please." He smiled as all the crew turned to him. "Now, it is my great pleasure to present our beautiful Princess Willow with a very special Birthday present."

"Willow.." Tara whispered to herself, with another dreamy sigh. "What a pretty name.."

"Aww Wesley, you shouldn't have" said Willow, a little embarrassed, and admittedly, quite nervous, as Wesley moved to a very large object with a sheet thrown over it. The Englishman had always had a tendency to overdo things.

"I know" Wesley grinned. He removed the sheet to reveal a large statue of Willow standing in a noble pose.

"Gee, Wes" said Willow, looking it over unenthusiastically, but not wanting to hurt the young man's feelings. "It's uh, really something.."

"I'm glad you like it!" said Wesley excitedly. "I oversaw it's sculpting myself." He paused, frowning. "I was hoping it would be a Wedding present, but.."

"Wesley, your not still going on about me not going out with that girl back home, are you?" Willow chuckled.

"Princess, it's just that you turn down every young lady that comes to call" Wesley sighed. "The Kingdom just wants to see you settle down with the right girl!"

"That right girl's out there somewhere" Willow gazed out to sea, sighing. Tara sighed with her, neither Princess noticing as the sky darkened above them. "I just haven't found her yet. But when I do, trust me, I'll know" Willow grinned. "It'll just, bam! Hit me, like lightning!" As the Princess said this, a real bolt of lightning struck the ship.

"You just_ had_ to say something like that while we were at sea, didn't you?" Wesley frowned.

* * *

"Uh-oh" said Sophie.


	7. Tara To The Rescue

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Sophie.

* * *

"What happened next, Mama Tara?"

"Well, the lightning was just the beginning" Tara went on. "A great wind blew up, and huge raindrops began to pelt down from the sky.."

* * *

"We've got a mighty storm brewing!" Xander yelled.

"Stand fast!" Spike instructed the crew, who began rushing around doing various tasks. "Secure the rigging!"

Meanwhile, Tara and Anya clung desperately to the side of the ship as the rising waves crashed angrily against it.

"That wind's really starting to pick up!" Anya yelled. As she did, a gust of said wind caught her glider, dragging her away from the ship and into the air. "Whoa, Tara!"

"Anya!" Tara cried. She made a desperate grab for her friend, but missed, losing her own grip on the ship in the process. A wave dunked her under momentarily, but she quickly resurfaced looking around, and finding Anya nowhere in sight.

"Tara!" cried Fred as she swam towards her. Giles was now perched atop her head, the kind young mermaid having scooped him from the waves which had tossed him about like a ragdoll.

"Are you alright?" the crab asked, looking Tara over. If she suffered any injuries from this escapade, it would be impossible to hide his failure from Angel.

"I think so" Tara gasped. At that moment, another bolt of lightning struck the ship, setting the mast alight. "Oh no!" From her books, Tara knew that fire and wood did not mix. Luckily, Willow knew it too.

"Abandon ship!" the Princess yelled. The crew rushed for the life boats, and everybody made it safely off the ship. Well, almost everybody. Willow, now crammed into a boat with Wesley, Xander, and Spike, gasped in horror as she heard frightened mews from the burning ship. "Miss Kitty!" she yelled, diving over the side of the boat and swimming back to save her pet.

"Willow, what are you doing?" Wesley shouted. "Get back here!" Of course, Willow didn't listen, and Giles frowned, knowing exactly how the young man felt. Willow reached the ship, quickly scaling the side and climbing onto the deck. "Miss Kitty!" she called. "Miss Kitty, where are you girl?" She heard wood cracking behind her, and dodged the falling mast just in time. Miss Kitty Fantastico ran to her, and Willow scooped her up and ran. Miss Kitty Fantastico had grown up a ship's cat, and was therefore quite a confident swimmer, so Willow tossed her over the side of the burning ship. "Swim for the boat, Miss Kitty!" she yelled, before jumping in after her. Miss Kitty reached the lifeboat and was scooped aboard by Xander, but the sailor's one eye widened in horror as he looked back at Willow.

"Will, look out!" he screamed. Willow glanced behind her, confused, and saw exactly what had Xander so worried. Floating behind her was a barrel of gun powder which had fallen from the ship, hnaving caught fire itself somewhere along the way. She gasped and swam harder for the boat, but it was too late. The barrel exploded, forcing Willow beneath the surface and knocking her unconscious.

Anya had told Tara a lot of 'facts' about humans over the years, and while the majority of these were less than accurate, the one she remembered now was completely true, and it was making her heart beat a hundred miles a minute. Humans couldn't breathe underwater. If Willow didn't get back to the surface soon she'd die. Tara would not let that happen.

"Tara, I know what you're thinking, but you can't" said Giles seeming to sense from her expression wat the youngest mermaid Princess was planning to do. "Merpeople are not allowed to interferein human affairs. It's been a part of Atlantican law for years, even before your brother was King!"

"Screw the law" Tara muttered to herself as she dove.

* * *

"Yay!" Sophie cheered.


	8. The Start Of Something

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Sophie.

* * *

"That is kind of a 'yay' moment, isn't it?" Tara chuckled.

"Uh-huh" Sophie nodded. "What happened after Tara saved Willow? Did they falls in love and live happily ever after?"

"Whoa, getting a little ahead of yourself there, Sweetie" Tara smirked. "She hasn't saved her yet.."

* * *

Once below the surface, Tara looked around desperately for Willow, but was unable to spot her through the cloudiness the explosion had caused in the water. She dodged the falling debris from the ship, and, as the water cleared, she spotted Willow's quickly sinking form and swam for her, faster than she had ever swum for anything, seizing the other Princess and dragging her towards the surface. Now back above the water, clinging to the still unconscious Willow, Tara looked around for the other humans, but they had already rowed off far into the distance, believing their Princess to be dead. Willow's life still depended upon her. Tightening her grip on the girl in her arms, and making sure to hold her in a way that kept her head above water, Tara swam in the direction of the shore.

* * *

As the Sun rose the following morning, Tara lay on the sand beside the unconscious Willow, praying that she would wake. Just as Tara began to lose hope, Anya crashed into the sand beside her with her glider.

"Anya!" cried Tara happily, glad to see that her friend was safe.

"Hey, Tara" the demon grinned as though she had not just faced a life threatening experience. She glanced at Willow, frowning. "Hey, it's that human you liked! I preferred that guy with the eyepatch myself.."

"I saved her" said Tara sadly, cutting Anya off as she turned back to her flame-haired Princess. "But she hasn't woken up yet.. Is she okay?"

"It's hard to say" Anya frowned, looking Willow over before lifting the girl's foot to her ear. "Gee, Tara, I can't make out a heartbeat. I'm afraid she's dead, dead as dust." Tara's heart sank, until she noticed Willow displaying one sign of life that her favourite human 'expert' seemed to have overlooked.

"No.. No look, she's breathing!" Said Tara, relieved, as she watched Willow's chest steadily rising and falling. Giles and Fred, having lost track of Tara at some point during her daring rescue, arrived on shore to find her gazing down at Willow lovingly, gently stroking her silky red hair.

Tara: _**What would I give**_

_**To live where you are?**_

_**What would I pay,**_

_**To stay here beside you?**_

_**What would I do to see you,**_

_**Smiling at me? **_

As Giles poor, tired old mind registered what was going on, his jaw dropped. Anya smirked, reaching over to close it for him.

**_Where would we walk?_**

**_Where would we run?_**

**_If we could stay all day in the sun?_**

**_Just you and me, _**

**_And I could be,_**

**_Part of your world._**

Willow's eyes fluttered open, seeing the blurry image of Tara hovering above her, and she smiled subconsciously. Suddenly, Tara heard the mews of Miss Kitty Fantastico and the tinkle of the bells on her collar from nearby, soon followed by the sounds of running feet and shouting voices. She gave Willow a quick kiss on the cheek then hurried back into the water, hiding behind a nearby rock with Fred and Giles, while Anya escaped on her glider. Miss Kitty soon appeared, running to Willow and rubbing against her affectionately as the Princess struggled up into a sitting position, hand soon drifting to her cheek. Miss Kitty was soon joined by Wesley, Xander, and the other members of the search party.

"Willow, you're alive!" cried Wesley relieved, as he ran to her side. "Oh, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

"We really thought we'd lost you there, Will" Xander grinned, overjoyed to find his friend alive and well, rather than the body they had antcipated.

"You're never going to believe this guys, but.." said Willow, hand still on her cheek, "A girl rescued me. She was singing. She had the most beautiful voice I've ever heard and.. she kissed me.."

"Sounds like somebody's swallowed quite a bit of seawater" Wesley chuckled, as he and Xander helped Willow to her feet. "Let's go home, you've had quite an ordeal.."

Meanwhile, behind the rock, a panicked Giles formed a plan to keep this incident hidden from Angel.

"We'll just pretend this whole thing never happened" he whispered to Fred. "His Majesty never has to know. If you don't tell him, I won't tell him, and I'll stay in one piece... Agreed?"

"Agreed" said Fred, nodding. Tara however, had different ideas. She climbed up on top of the rock, sighing dreamily as she watched Willow disappear into the distance, and continued her song.

Tara: **_I don't know when,_**

**_I don't know how,_**

**_But I know something's starting right now!_**

**_Watch and you'll see,_**

**_Someday I'll be,_**

**_Part of your world!_**

"Aww" said Sophie.


	9. Under The Sea

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Sophie.

* * *

"I agree with you, Sweetie" Tara smiled. "But unfortunately, Glory saw everything through the eyes of Darla and Drusilla, who were once again hiding nearby spying.."

* * *

"Oh, I can't stand it, it's just too easy!" Glory grinned evilly, watching everything her minions saw through her magic crystal ball back at her lair. "The girl is in love with a human! And not just any human, a _Princess_!" She cackled. "Her brother will love that." She paused, grinning evilly as she looked to a small patch of dirt where a group of forlorn little creatures with glowing yellow eyes resided, the souls of those who had been unable to fulfil the requirements of deals made with Glory. "Well, it looks like King Angel's lovesick, headstrong little sister will make a great addition to my garden.."

* * *

The next morning, back at the Palace, Tara sat in the bathroom she shared with her older sisters, brushing her hair and humming dreamily to herself.

"Tara!" yelled Harmony as she beat on the door, annoyed, while she and her sisters queued up outside. "Hurry up, you've been in there all morning!" Tara exited the bathroom and swam away, still humming, picking some flowers as she went.

"What's up with her?" Kate frowned.

"Not a clue" Nina shrugged.

"Me neither" said Kendra. As she swam, Tara bumped into Angel, who had been coming to wish his sisters a good morning.

"Oh! Good morning, big brother" Tara smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek and tucking one of her flowers behind his ear before continuing on her way.

"Oh yeah, she's got it bad" Cordelia chuckled.

"What?" asked Angel, clueless. "What's she got?"

"Isn't it obvious, Angel?" said Anne with a sigh. "Tara's in love."

"In love?" Angel pulled the flower from behind his ear, a smile spreading over his face. "Really?"

* * *

Meanwhile, a short distance away, Giles paced back and forth while Tara sat on a rock plucking the petals from her remaining flower.

"Okay, calm down Rupert" Giles told himself, taking a few deep breaths. "So far, so good. I don't think the King knows. But it won't be easy to keep something like this secret from him for long.."

"She loves me" Tara smiled as she plucked a petal from her flower, too wrapped up in the thrill of new love to notice her reluctant guardian's troubles. She plucked another petal, sighing. "She loves me not.." This continued until she reached the final petal. "She loves me!" Tara beamed, rolling over and giggling. "I knew it!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Giles grumbled, realising what she was talking about. "A human could never love a mermaid, it's just not possible!" Tara ignored him.

"I have to see her again, tonight" said Tara, beginning to make plans in her head. "Anya knows where Willow lives, she can show me.."

"Good Lord, Tara, when are you going to get your head out of the clouds and back in the ocean where it belongs!"

"I'll just swim up to her castle, then Fred can splash around a little to get her attention, and maybe she'll let me stay.."

"That is completeley out of the question, I can't let you do it!" said Giles. "Your brother would kill me! Besides, your home is here, underwater."

"But.."

"Listen, Tara" the crab sighed, "The human world is a mess. Life under the sea is better than anything they've got up there!"

"Really?" Tara frowned, annoyed.

"Yes, really" said Giles.

Giles: **_The seaweed is always greener,_**

**_In somebody else's lake._**

**_You dream about going up there,_**

**_But that is a big mistake!_**

Tara crossed her arms, grumpily turning away from him, but Giles persisted, as other sea creatures emerged wanting to see what was going on.

**_Just look at the world around you,_**

**_Right here on the ocean floor._**

**_Such wonderful things surround you,_**

**_What more are you looking for?_**

A school of fish swam around Tara, tickling her stomach and making her giggle. Giles grabbed one of their tails, letting them tow him around.

**_Under the sea,_**

**_Under the sea._**

**_Tara it's better,_**

**_Down where it's wetter,_**

**_Take it from me!_**

Giles did a backflip, landing on the head of a nearby octopus.

**_Up on the shore they work all day,_**

**_Out in the sun they slave away,_**

**_While we're devoting,_**

**_Full time to floating,_**

**_Under the sea!_**

Giles joined the octopus in playing drums on a row of clams.

Giles & Octopus: **_Down here all the fish are happy,_**

**_As off through the waves they roll._**

**_The fish on the land ain't happy,_**

**_They're sad 'cause they're in their bowl._**

A fish trapped in a bubble floated by, and Tara glanced at it sympathetically.

**_But fish in the bowl is lucky,_**

**_They're in for a worser fate!_**

**_One day when the boss gets hungry.._**

Giles popped the bubble, catching the fish on a flat stone.

Fish: **_Guess who's gon' be on the plate?_**

Giles: **_No!_**

**_Under the sea,_**

**_Under the sea,_**

A group of starfish swam around Tara. She did a twirl with them, laughing.

**_Nobody beat us,_**

**_Fry us,_**

**_And eat us,_**

**_In fricassee!_**

**_We're what the land folks love to cook,_**

**_Under the sea we're off the hook!_**

A clam spat out a rusty hook, which Giles dodged.

**_We've got no troubles,_**

**_Life is the bubbles,_**

**_Under the sea!_**

The area was now full of creatures playing various instruments.

**_Under the sea,_**

**_Under_ _the sea,_**

**_Under the sea,_**

**_Since life is sweet here,_**

**_We've got the beat here,_**

**_Naturally!_**

**_Even the sturgeon and the ray,_**

**_They get the urge and start to play._**

**_We've got the spirit,_**

**_You've got to hear it,_**

**_Under the sea!_**

Giles busted out a drum solo.

**_The newt play the flute,_**

**_The carp play the harp,_**

**_The plaice play the bass, _**

**_And they're sounding sharp._**

**_The bass play the brass,_**

**_The chub play the tub, _**

**_The fluke is the duke of soul!_**

Fluke: **_Yeah!_**

Giles: **_The ray he can play,_**

**_The lings on the strings, _**

**_The trout rockin' out,_**

**_The blackfish he sings._**

**_The smelt and the sprat,_**

**_They know where it's at,_**

**_And oh,_**

**_That blowfish blow!_**

While Giles and the sea creatures danced around, Fred arrived, whispering something into Tara's ear. The Princess grinned, and, unseen by Giles, swam off with her friend.

**_Under the sea,_**

**_Under the sea,_**

**_When the sardine begin the beguine,_**

**_It's music to me!_**

**_What have they got?_**

**_A lot of sand?_**

**_We've got a hot crustacean band!_**

_**Each little slug here,**_

_**Cuttin' a rug here,**_

_**Under the sea!**_

_**Each little snail here,**_

_**Know how to wail here,**_

_**What's why it's hotter,**_

_**Under the water!**_

_**Yeah we in luck here,**_

_**Down in the muck here,**_

_**Under the sea!**_

As the song ended, Giles looked around, only to find his young charge had given him the slip.

"Not again" he groaned, swimming off to begin his search. "Someone should nail that girl's fins to the floor.."

* * *

"That was fun!" Sophie laughed.


	10. Tara's Surprise

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Sophie.

* * *

"Yeah, I always liked that part" Tara smiled.

"What?" said Sophie, confused.

"Nevermind" said Tara quickly. "Now, Giles headed off for the secret grotto, almost one hundred percent sure that's where Tara had gone, but on the way he was interrupted.

* * *

"Giles!" Lorne panted, swimming over to the crab, "I've been looking all over for you. I have an urgent message from King Angel!"

"King Angel?" Giles asked, trying to hide the sudden panic in his voice.

"Yeah, he wants to see you right away" said Lorne as he swam off, task complete. "Something about Tara.."

"Tara?" Giles gulped, eyes widening in horror. "He knows!"

* * *

Meanwhile back at the Palace, Angel sat in the throne room fiddling with the flower his sister had given him.

"Our little Tara, in love!" he chuckled, a smile spreading over his face. "Who could the lucky mermaid be?" Angel looked up, spotting the very nervous Giles as he appeared in the doorway. "Ah, come in Giles."

"Okay" said Giles, taking a deep breath, "I mustn't over react. I must remain calm." He swam over in front of Angel. "Yes?" he squeaked. Angel looked at the crab strangely, and Giles coughed to cover himself. "Sorry Your Majesty, something in my throat. Uh, you called?"

"Yes, Giles" said Angel. "I'm a little bit worried about my sister."

"Oh.. Which one?" said Giles with a nervous chuckle.

"Tara" Angel frowned. "Have you noticed she's been acting peculiar lately?"

"Peculiar?" Giles frowned, trying to feign ignorance.

"You know, moaning about, daydreaming, singing to herself.." Angel counted them off on his fingers.

"Tara always has been a bit of a dreamer, Your Majesty.."

"But never like this. Haven't you noticed her unusual behaviour?"

"Well, I.."

"Giles" Angel smirked. "I know you've been keeping something from me."

"K-Keeping something?" stuttered Giles, panic increasing.

"About my little sister.." Angel prodded, swimming closer to the crab.

"Oh no, sir" said Giles quickly. "No, no, no, I'd never dream of trying to hide anything.."

"Being in love?" Angel finished. Giles couldn't take anymore. He finally cracked.

"All right, I'll tell you!" he cried. "I tried to stop her Your Majesty, but she just wouldn't listen! I told her to stay away from humans, humans are nothing but trouble! They are vicious, spineless, evil, savage fish-eaters, who kill poor defenseless sea creatures without mercy!But she still did it, Your Majesty! Last night, behind your back, your little sister went to the surface and rescued a human Princess!"

"Humans?" Angel frowned, taking a moment to absorb Giles' story, before his face twisted into an angry scowl. "WHAT ABOUT HUMANS?"

"Humans?" realising his mistake, Giles tried to back track. "Who said anything about humans?" Angel glared at the crab, then angrily pushed him aside, swimming off to confront his sister. "Well Giles, you stupid old crustacean" Giles grumbled as he sped off after the King with the faint hope of calming him before he reached Tara, "You've really made a mess of things this time haven't you.."

* * *

"Fred!" Tara laughed, one hand covering her eyes while her friend led her by the other, "Why can't you just tell me what this is all about?"

"It's a surprise" Fred grinned as she reached the entrance of the secret grotto, carefully guiding the Princess inside. "It's great, I'm sure you're gonna love it. Just promise you won't peek before I say so, okay?"

"Okay, I promise" Tara chuckled. Fred released her friend's hand and took a quick look around to make sure everything was in it's proper place, including the very special new addition to Tara's collection.

"Alright Tara, you can look now" she smiled. Tara looked, very nearly squealing with joy at what she saw.

"The statue of Princess Willow!" she cried happily, swimming over to take a closer look, before turning to Fred, confused. "But where.. when.. How did you get it?"

"Well, I saw it fall off the Ship during the storm" Fred explained. "I thought you might like it since you've fallen in love with her and all, so I went and found it this morning, and then I got some dolphins to help me bring it back he.. eek!" She was cut off as Tara pulled her into a hug.

"Oh Fred, thank you so much!" Tara released her friend and turned back to the statue, staring at it in awe. "It looks just like her, it even has her eyes.." She wrapped her arms around the Willow-statue, laying her head on it's shoulder and pretending it was the real thing. "Oh Willow, you want me to run away with you?" she giggled. "This is all so sudden.." As Tara continued to play act with the statue, a shadow fell over her. As Fred yelped in fright and swam to her side, Tara turned, eyes widening in panic. Angel was standing before her, and he did not look amused.

* * *

"Uh-oh" said Sophie.


	11. The End Of The Secret Grotto

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Sophie.

* * *

"Yes" Tara agreed, "Definitely 'uh-oh'.."

* * *

"Angel!" cried Tara in shock. Giles swam in behind the King, and when Tara met his eyes he glanced away guiltily.

"I consider myself a reasonable King and brother" Angel began, "But I set rules, and I expect those rules to be obeyed.."

"I, uh, didn't hear you come in.." Tara giggled, feigning innocence.

"Really? Well I heard something about you, Tara" said Angel coldly. "I HEARD THAT YOU DELIBERATELY DISOBEYED ME AND WENT TO THE SURFACE AGAIN!"

"Angel, I can explain.." Tara began, before the furious Mer-King cut her off.

"YOU ARE TO ANSWER MY QUESTION, AND I DEMAND TO HEAR THE TRUTH!" Angel roared. "Is it true that you rescued a _human_ from drowning?"

"Yes, I had to" said Tara, feeling no shame in what she had done.

"Tara, contact between the human world and the merpeople world is strictly, strictly forbidden! You know that, everyone knows that!"

"But she would have died!"

"Good, one less human to worry about!" Angel snarled.

"You don't even know her!" Tara yelled.

"Know her? I don't need to know her!" Angel snapped. "THEY'RE ALL THE SAME, TARA!"

"No Angel, you don't understand!" Tara cried. "They're not all.."

"Spineless, cruel, evil.."

"Can't you just.."

"Savage, harpooning fish eaters.."

"Listen to me for one.."

"Incapable of any feelings.." Angel continued his rant, but Tara had had enough.

"ANGEL, I LOVE HER!" she screamed. Angel gasped, then his face contorted in anger, and Tara ducked behind the Willow statue, realising that making this declaration of love was not the smartest thing she could have done. Fred yelped, hiding inside a barrel with Giles.

"No!" Angel yelled. "Have you completely lost your senses? She's a human, you're a Mermaid!" Tara peeked out from behind the statue, eyes flashing with defiance.

"I don't care!"

"So help me, Tara, I am going to get through to you" said Angel, raising his trident. "If this is the only way, well, so be it!"

"Your Majesty" cried Giles desperately, "I don't think this is the way to.." The crab yelped, Fred jerking him to safety as Angel zapped a jewelery box above their heads. Angel, in a white-hot rage, began firing off blasts in all directions. He destroyed Tara's books, her thingamabobs, the menorah which held her collection of human cutlery, everything. Then, finally, he turned his trident on Willow's statue.

"Angel, no!" cried Tara. "Please!" Unfortunately, the Mer-King was now beyond reason. He fired, and the statue exploded into thousands of pieces. Tara stared at the remains, numb with shock. Then, she collapsed onto the ground, bursting into tears. Angel, anger slowly subsiding at the sight of his distraught youngest sibling, already began to regret what he had just done. He opened his mouth to say something, but, realising that nothing he said or did right now would make Tara feel better, he simply sighed, and left the shattered grotto. If nothing else, hopefully, his little sister would finally learn her lesson.

Giles sighed too. This was his fault. If he hadn't gone jumping to conclusions, Angel would have never known about the grotto, Tara's rescue of Willow, or her growing feelings for the human Princess. The crab had known and cared about Tara long before Angel had officially designated him her babysitter, and he couldn't just leave her to cry like this without knowing just how sorry he was.

"Tara.." he began, laying a sympathetic claw on the girl's shoulder.

"Go away" she said coldly. "You're the last person I want to talk to right now."

"Please, listen to me. I never meant for this to.."

"Just go away!" Tara shrieked, then continued to sob.

"Come on" Fred whispered, gesturing for Giles to follow her out. "Tara doesn't get this upset often, but when she does it's best just to leave her alone.."

* * *

"Poor Tara" Sophie sighed.


	12. Off To See The HellGod

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Sophie.

* * *

"Yep, Angel definitely went a little too far that time, didn't he?" asked Tara.

"Uh-huh" Sophie agreed, hugging her Mother's pregnant belly. "I'm never gonna be that mean to my little sister, never!"

"Good to know" Tara smiled. "Now, Glory had seen the whole incident unfold, and decided it was time to put her plan into action.."

* * *

Tara, still sobbing among the remains of the grotto, at first didn't notice the arrival of some very unsavoury company.

"Poor, sweet little girl" said Drusilla, making Tara start at the realisation she was no longer alone.

"She has a very serious problem, doesn't she Dru?" Darla smirked.

"Yes, if only there was something we could do" Drusilla sighed.

"But there is something.." Darla grinned.

"W-Who.. W-Who are you?" Tara stuttered, glancing fearfully between the two mervamps.

"Don't be scared, little one" Dru cooed.

"We represent someone who can help you" said Darla.

"Someone who can make all your dreams come true" said Dru.

"What?" asked Tara, confused.

"Just imagine" said the two mervamps in unison, "You and your Princess, together forever."

"I don't understand" Tara frowned. It sounded wonderful, but.. "How?"

"Glorificus has great magical powers" said Drusilla.

"The Hell-God?" Tara gasped, backing away. "No, no I couldn't possibly.. No way! Leave me alone!"

"Suit yourself" Darla shrugged, turning to swim away.

"It was only a suggestion" sighed Dru. She dropped something near Tara before joining Darla. It was the face of the Willow statue. Tara picked it up, frowning. She'd been raised to believe that Glorificus was evil, that she'd been banished from Atlantica for unspeakable deeds. But, if it meant she got to be with Willow, was seeking her help worth the risk? Tara decided that it was.

"Wait!" she called after them.

"Yes?" the retreating mervamps replied, flashing twin evil grins.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the grotto, Fred waited for her friend to emerge, while Giles waited with her, hoping for another chance to apologise to the Princess.

"Poor Tara" Fred sighed sadly to herself. "Poor, poor Tara.."

"That's not making me feel any better, you know" Giles frowned.

"Maybe you don't deserve to feel better!" Fred snapped.

"Please, Fred, don't be like that" said Giles sadly. "I feel bad enough about this already. I didn't mean to tell Angel, but I panicked and it just slipped out. It was an honest mistake." Seeing the crab so wracked with guilt, Fred softened.

"I believe you. Sorry I snapped. It's just, Tara's my best friend, and I hate seeing her so upset.."

"I understand" Giles smiled. The pair fell into a comfortable silence, until Fred spotted Darla and Drusilla swimming from the grotto, followed closely by Tara.

"What's Tara doing with those two mervamps?" asked Fred, concerned.

"Mervamps?" Giles yelped, spotting them and speeding off in pursuit, with Fred trailing behind. "Tara! Tara, where in the King's name do you think you're going? What are you doing associating with this riff-raff?"

"I'm going to see Glory" said Tara, refusing to meet the crab's eyes.

"Glory?" Giles gasped, grabbing onto his charge's tailfin in a vain attempt at slowing her down. "Tara, no! She's a demon! Scratch that, she's worse! She's a Hell-God! She's evil, despicable, vile, foul.."

"Well, if you're so worried why don't you go tell my brother?" said Tara coldly, flicking him off her tail and sending him flying into Fred's hands. "You're good at that." The Princess continued to head in the direction the mervamps led her.

"We have to follow her" said Giles.

"I know" said Fred, setting the crab atop her head, but I don't like it.."

* * *

"I don't like it either" Sophie frowned.

* * *

AN: Okay, people, I need a little help. As I promised, after this is complete I will do a Buffy-fied Toy Story, but I'm having some trouble choosing who to play Andy and his sister, so I need some suggestions. Here's the cast list I already have for the first and second to help you out:

Woody: Willow

Buzz: Buffy

Bo Peep: Tara (I've worked out a way to incorporate her into the third one as well, even though Bo was sold. Can't split up my fave couple!)

Sheep: Sophie and Lily.

Slinky: Xander

Mr Potato Head: Spike

Rex: Anya

Hamm: Giles (I know it doesn't really fit, but I wanted to have Giles in there somewhere, and Hamm is quite often portrayed as the brains of the group)

Soldiers: Riley and the commandos.

Sid, The Toy Destroyer: Tucker.

Sid's sister: Andrew

Mutant toys: various demons.

Aliens: Potentials

And for the second..

Mrs Potato head: Drusilla

Weezy: Lorne

Buster: Echo

Jessie: Faith

Bullseye: Miss Kitty

Stinky Pete: The Mayor

Barbie: Cordelia

Emperor Zurg: The Master

Al: Warren


	13. Poor Unfortunate Souls

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse and Echo :)

* * *

"I'm with you there, sweetie" said Tara.

"How are Fred and Giles gonna stop Tara from going to Glory?" Sophie panicked.

"At the moment, they're not. They're just following her.."

* * *

When they finally reached the dark, forbidding entrance to Glory's lair, the Mermaid Princess began to have second thoughts.

"Right this way" Darla and Dru flashed twin creepy grins.

"I don't know.." Tara hesitated.

"Do you want your Pretty Princess?" Drusilla asked.

"Yes.."

"Then come on!" Darla urged.

"Well.." Tara hesitated for a few more moments before entering. "Okay." Once inside, she yelped as strange merpeople with cold clammy hands grabbed hold of her as she passed by their places bound to the walls, babbling words that Tara couldn't make out. "What are you doing? Get off me!" She pushed through, taking a deep breath as she watched Darla and Drusilla's tails disappear into the darkness ahead. She followed, not realising that the brain-sucked merfolk were actually trying to save her from the horrible mistake they had all made.

"Well, well, well" came a sinister voice, before Glory appeared out of the gloom. "Come in, Sweetie, it's not polite to lurk in doorways you know." She draped an arm around Tara's shoulders, guiding her deeper inside. "I know why you're here. Got a little thing for Princess Willow, am I right? Not that I blame you, she is quite a catch isn't she?"

Tara just nodded.

"Well" Glory chuckled, leaving thedumbstruck mermaid and moving to her shelf of supplies, "The way I see it, the only way to solve your troubles.. Is to become human yourself."

"You c-can do that?" stuttered Tara, finally finding her voice.

"Absolutely!" Glory cried dramatically. "Helping unfortunate Merfolk like yourself is what I live for!"

"That's not what I've heard.."

"Yes, well, everyone makes mistakes.." said Glory, in what she hoped was a remorseful tone. The Hell-God of the sea sighed and turned around, waving Tara even deeper inside, beginning to sing as he did so.

Glory:** I know that in the past I've been a nasty,**

**They weren't kidding when they called me,**

**Well, a witch..**

**But you'll find that nowadays,**

**I've mended all my ways,**

**Repented,**

**Seen the light,**

**And made a switch.**

**True?**

**Yes!**

Tara kept her distance, still nervous. Glory smirked, slinking over to a makeshift cauldron, with Darla and Dru handing her ingredients which she quickly tossed in.

**And I fortunately know a little magic**

**It's a talent that I always have possessed.**

**And here lately, **

**Please don't laugh**

**I use it on behalf**

**Of the miserable, **

**Lonely,**

** And depressed**.

The smoke rising from the cauldron twisted into the image of a weeping overweight woman, and a sad scrawny man.

"Pathetic" Glory whispered to her minions, before continuing her song.

**Those poor unfortunate souls,**

**In pain,**

**In need!**

**This one longing to be** **thinner**..

Glory jabbed a finger at the smoke-woman, who became thin and beautiful.

**That one wants to get the girl**..

The scrawny man became muscular and handsome.

**And do I help them?**.

Glory grinned wickedly and snapped her fingers, causing the two smoke figures to embrace each other.

**Yes indeed**.

"Wow" Tara gasped.

**Those poor unfortunate souls! **

**So sad,**

**But** **true**.

Meanwhile, Fred and Giles had finally caught up to their friend. Giles gasped in horror as they passed the brain-sucked merpeople, while Fred gulped.

**They come flocking to my cauldron crying**

**'Spells, Glory, please!'**

**And do I help them?**

**Yes I** **do**.

Glory tried to look regretful.

**Now it's happened once or twice,**

**Someone couldn't pay the price..**

**And I'm afraid I've had to rake 'em 'cross the coals!**.

The happy couple in the smoke transformed into some of the sorry looking souls she'd seen on her way in, and Tara backed away, doubtful once again.

**Yes,**

**I've had a few complaints,**

**But on the whole I've been a saint!**

**To those poor unfortunate** **souls!**.

"Now here's the deal, kid" Glory grinned, moving to wrap an arm around Tara's shoulders, "I can brew a potion that will make you human for _three_, count 'em, _three _days, got it?"

"Yes" Tara nodded.

"Now listen, 'cause this is the important part" Glory continued, as three Suns representing Tara's three human days appeared in the smoke. "Before the Sun sets on that third day, you have to get the Princess to fall in love with you, and to prove it, she has to kiss you. But this can't be just any kiss.." The Sun's became a heart. "It has to be a kiss of True Love, and if it is.."

"Then what?" Tara leaned forward, curious.

"You get to be human for all eternity.."

In the smoke Tara could now see herself, as a human, in an embrace with Willow. She sighed dreamily.

"But if you don't.." Smoke-Willow disappeared, while Smoke-Tara's legs became a tail. "You'll turn back into a mermaid, and" Glory continued sinisterly, "You belong to me."

"What?" Tara gasped.

Giles couldn't stand back and watch any longer.

"Tara, don't.." he cried, before Darla and Dru appeared behind them, jamming barrels over both he and Fred.

"Hey!" Fred yelped.

"That ought to shut you up" Darla smirked, as Giles continued to shout uselessly from under the barrel.

"So" Glory gave an evil smile, "Do we have a deal?"

"If I become human" said Tara thoughtfully, speaking to herself more than the Hell-God, "I'll never see my friends again.. Or my brother."

"That's right!" Glory gasped. "But you'll have your girl. Life's just full of tough choices, isn't it?"

"Yeah.." Tara sighed.

"Oh, one more thing Honey. This deal ain't free."

"Oh um, I d-don't have any.."

"Calm down, I'm not asking much" Glory spoke in the most innocent tone she could muster. "A small token really, a trinket. You'll barely miss it."

"What is it?" asked Tara warily.

"Sweetie, all I want from you.. Is your voice."

"My voice?" Tara clutched at her throat.

"You got it" Glory smirked. "No more talking singing, giggling, laughing; Nada, zilch, zip."

"I don't understand. How am I supposed to make Willow fall in love with me if.."

"You've got your looks, and that pretty little face" said Glory, pinching Tara's cheek before turning away, wiggling her hips. "And let's not forget the importance of body language!"

**Human girls don't like a lot of blabber,**

**They think a girl who gossips is a bore.**

**Yes up there it's much preferred for ladies not to say a word,**

**And after all kid,**

**What's idle prattle** **for?**.

"But.." said Tara. Glory ignored her.

**Come on, **

**They're not all that impressed wih conversation,**

**True Ladies will avoid it when they can.**

**But they'll dote and swoon and fawn,**

**On a girl who is withdrawn,**

**It's she who holds her tongue who gets humans!**.

"I'm not sure.." Tara frowned.

**Come on,**

**You poor unfortunate soul!**

**Go ahead,**

**Make your choice!**.

**I'm a very busy woman,**

**And I haven't got all day**.

A vision of Willow appeared in the smoke, and Tara sighed dreamily.

**It won't cost much..**

**JUST YOUR VOICE!**.

Tara jumped, startled. Glory smirked, making a contract appear before the Mermaid Princess.

**You poor unfortunate soul It's sad,**

**But true,**

**If you want to cross the bridge My Sweet**

**You've got to pay the toll**

**Take a gulp and take a breath,**

**Go ahead and sign the scroll****!**.

Tara took a closer look at the contract, which read:

'_I hereby hand over to Glorificus, Hell-God of the sea, one voice._'

She gulped, then thought of Willow, and picked up a nearby quill, a determined look on her face.

Glory leaned in to whisper to her minions, grinning.

_**"Darla, Drusilla, now I've got her girls!"**_

**The boss is on a roll!**

**This poor-**

**Un-**

**Fortunate soul!**.

Tara scrawled her name at the bottom of the contract.

Giles and Fred, breaking free from their prisons, gasped in horror.

Glory grinned, and began to recite a spell.

**Paluga, sarruga, come winds of the Caspian Sea**..

A blue wind of some sort seemed to surround Tara, who became very unsure of what she had just done.

"Tara!" cried Fred, swimming forward to save her friend, only for the wind to throw her back.

"It's no use, Winifred" said Giles in despair. "Glory's magic is too powerful!"

**Now bring us glossitis and max ****laryngitis,**

**La voce to me!**.

Two smoky hands appeared from Glory's cauldron, appearing to grip Tara on either side.

"Now sing!" Glory ordered.

Tara took a deep breath, and sang. A golden orb of light floated from her throat.

"Yes!" Glory hissed, grabbing a shell amulet in which to trap it. "Keep singing!"

Tara did so, and the golden orb, her voice, floated into Glory's amulet, which she quickly snapped shut. A Dark energy surrounded Tara, transforming her tail into a pair of human legs.

Glory cackled maniacally, as the now human Tara began to gasp and clutch at her throat.

"Tara!" cried Fred.

"Hurry!" yelled Giles, as the pair rushed forward and seized hold of Tara, hauling her from the cave as Glory continued to cackle. "We have to get her to the surface, humans can't breathe underwater!"

* * *

"Oh no!" cried Sophie.


	14. The Wrong Girl?

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse and Echo :)

* * *

"Don't worry, Sweetie" Tara laughed. "It wouldn't be much of a story if Tara drowned now, would it?"

"So Fred and Giles got her to the surface in time?" said Sophie, relieved.

"Mmhm, and they hid on what they thought was a secluded part of the beach while Giles tried to decide what they should do. But it wasn't really that secluded, because Willow's Castle was located just a short distance away.."

* * *

Princess Willow sat outside with Miss Kitty Fantastico, humming a song. The song sung by the mysterious girl who had saved her life a few days earlier.

"I can't get that song out of my head.. I can't get that _girl _out of my head" Willow sighed. "I've searched everywhere for her, and nothing! Wesley thinks I must have been imagining things" She reached out to scratch her cats ears. "But you believe me, don't you Miss Kitty?"

Miss Kitty gave a happy mew, which Willow took to mean yes.

"I have to find her.."

* * *

"This is bad, very, very, very, bad.." Giles scuttled nervously back and forth.

Sitting in the water, the now mute Tara lifted one of her new legs and happily examined her toes. Fred hid behind a rock nearby, uncomfortable with the situation.

Anya suddenly crashed to the beach on her glider, just missing Giles.

"Hey, look what the catfish dragged in!" she greeted when she spotted Tara. "Hang on, there's something different about you, isn't there?"

Tara nodded excitedly.

"Hmm.." Anya looked her friend over, frowning. "Don't tell me.. Oh, it's your hair-do! You've been using the dinglehopper, right?"

Tara shook her head.

"Uh.. New tank top?"

Tara shook her head again and pointed to her legs, but Anya didn't notice, too deep in thought.

"There's definitely something, it's on the tip of my tongue.."

"Are you blind?" Giles shrieked. "She's got LEGS, you stupid demon! Tara traded her voice to Glorificus, and now she's got horrible HUMAN LEGS!"

"Oh my god, she does!" Anya gasped.

"Uh-huh, and now Tara's got to get Princess Willow to fall in love with her" Fred explained, peeking out from behind her rock. "She's got to kiss her."

Tara stood shakily on her new legs.

"And she only has three days to do it!" cried Giles in despair.

The formerly mermaid Princess lost her balance, falling back into the water with a splash.

"Just look at her, on legs! Walking!"

"Uh, that's more like falling" Anya pointed out.

"I don't care!" Giles snapped. "My nerves are shot! This is a catrastrophe! What will her brother say? He'll say, 'I'm going to kill myself a crab!', That's what!" He sighed, taking a deep breath. "I'll just have to face the music, go tell King Angel.."

Tara scooped Giles into her hands, shaking her head furiously and wearing a pleading expression.

"Don't go shaking your head at me, young lady!" Giles frowned. "Maybe we can still get out of this without Angel knowing. Fred and I will go back to Glory, and convince her to reverse the spell and give your voice back. Then you can come back home to the other merpeople and.." Giles' face fell when he spotted the look of sorrow in Tara's eyes. "..Be miserable for the rest of your life" The crab sighed. He was probably to regret this, but.. "Good Lord.. alright, I'll help you find your Princess."

Tara beamed and kissed Giles' cheek.

"Okay, now that that's settled, we have some work to do" said Anya, knocking an annoyed Giles out of Tara's hand. "Tara, if you want to be a normal human, the first thing you have to do is dress like one. Now let's see.." The demon scanned the beach, eyes falling on a torn ship's sail and some rope that had washed up on shore. "Perfect!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Willow and Miss Kitty were taking a walk down the beach. Miss Kitty sniffed something in the air, and tensed.

"Miss Kitty?" Willow frowned.

The cat mewed excitedly and raced off into the distance.

"Hey! Miss Kitty Fantastico, you get back here now!"

* * *

Now wearing the sail like a crude dress, tied around her middle with the rope, Tara did a twirl, only just managing to stay upright.

"You look fabulous!" Anya grinned.

"She looks like a jellyfish" Giles frowned.

The group heard excited mews, and spotted Miss Kitty racing up the beach.

"Hide!" Anya hissed, jumping behind a rock with Giles. Fred yelped, diving back into the water.

Unfortunately, Tara didn't have time to hide. Miss Kitty Fantastico began sniff and claw at her, and Tara, panicking, jumped onto the rock.

"Miss Kitty!" Yelled Willow, annoyed, as she appeared, freezing when she spotted Tara. "Oh, Hello."

Tara blushed. This wasn't exactly how she'd imagined their first meeting.

"Sorry if my cat scared you, she gets a little excited sometimes" Willow continued, feeling a little nervous herself. Was this the girl she had been searching for? "Um.. You look really familiar. Have we met?"

Tara nodded eagerly.

"We have met?" Willow beamed. "I knew you were real, I knew it! You're the one! What's your name?"

Tara tried to reply, then clutched at her throat and frowned, remembering that she had given away her voice.

"You can't speak?" Willow's face fell. "Then you can't be the girl I'm looking for.." She sighed, then shook her head, disappointed with herself. Whether she was her singing savior or not, this girl obviously needed her help. She turned back to Tara, who was currently trying to mime singing to explain what had happened. "You want to play charades?"

Tara, who didn't know what charades was, looked confused. She continued to mime, pointing to her throat, then motioning as if something was floating away.

"You need directions?"

Tara shook her head. She made a wavy movement with her arm, trying to simulate the Ocean.

"A dolphin?"

Tara shook her head again, becoming frustrated, then slipped and fell from the rock.

"Whoa, gotcha!" Willow caught her, helping to steady her feet. Their eyes met, and both Princesses blushed. "You've been through a lot, haven't you?" said Willow gently, instinctively brushing a lock of hair out of the other girl's face.

Tara nodded.

"Come on" Willow held Tara tightly, keeping her steady as they walked. "You're welcome to stay at my Castle for as long as you need.."

Tara turned To smile back at her friends.

Giles scurried after her, while Anya gave a thumbs up.

* * *

"Aww" said Sophie.


	15. Welcome To The Palace

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse and Echo :)

* * *

"So" Tara smiled, continuing the story, "Willow took Tara back to the Castle, and ensured that all the servants would make her feel welcome, although there was still a little bit of gossip among the Maids.."

* * *

Tara sat in a large bathtub, playing with the bubbles in the soapy water.

"Oh, you poor thing" the Head Maid, Miss Jenny Calendar, sighed as she came in to leave Tara a towel. "You've been through something terrible, I can see that much." She glanced at Tara's 'dress', which Giles was still hiding in, and gathered it up in her arms. "Uh, we'll just wash this for you. Princess Willow has invited you to join she and Wesley for dinner, so I'll go get you something nice to wear.."

* * *

Jenny dumped the dress into a tub of clothes being washed by two Maids named Amanda and Vi.

Giles, panicking at the heat of the water, tried to scramble out, but was unknowingly knocked back down by Amanda.

"Did you see the girl Princess Willow brought home with her today?" she asked her friend.

Giles managed to crawl onto the rim of the tub, leaping into Vi's pocket.

"Yeah" Vi replied, "Everyone thinks she must have been shipwrecked, and gone mute from the trauma.."

Giles peeked out of the pocket and, seeing the coast clear and the maids engrossed in their conversation, the crab made a leap for freedom, scuttling through a nearby door.

* * *

"Good Lord, that was close!" said Giles, relieved. "I was almost.." He looked around and gasped in horror.

He was in the Kitchen! A fish was fileted on the bench, and worse, a plate of crabs ready to be boiled.

Giles promptly fainted.

* * *

"Willow, please be reasonable!" said Wesley, as he and Willow sat at the dining table, politely waiting for Tara to arrive before they began the meal. "Young ladies just don't swim around the Ocean rescuing people and then flutter off into oblivion!"

"I'm telling you Wesley, she was real!" said Willow, staring out the window at the sparkling sea. "I'm going to find that girl, and I'm going to Marry her." From the corner of her eye, she spotted Tara peeking shyly around the doorway. "Oh" she turned, giving a little wave. "Hello."

Tara blushed, disappearing back into the other room.

"Go on" They heard Jenny's encouraging voice. "Don't be shy."

Tara slowly edged into the room, whearing a beautiful, sparkling blue dress.

Willow gasped.

"Well, Willow" Wesley smirked, thinking he may get her to give up her 'girl in the ocean' ideas after all, "What do you think of our guest?"

"Um.. uh.. well.. I.. um.. You look very nice" The Princess babbled, her face now matching her hair.

Tara's cheeks were a similar shade of red.

"Come, sit down" said Wesley, pulling out a chair for Tara. "It's not everyday that we get to share a meal with a lovely young lady such as yourself."

Tara sat, and, spotting the 'dinglehopper' next to her plate, excitedly picked it up and began combing it through her hair.

Wesley and Willow gave her strange looks.

Tara put it down, embarrassed.

Kindly ignoring Tara's behvior, Willow took a seat across from Tara, while Wesley took the one beside her. Once Wesley was settled, he pulled out a pipe and began to smoke it.

Tara, recognising it as a 'snarfblat', bounced in her chair, pointing at it.

"Oh.. Do you like this?"

Tara nodded enthusiastically.

"It is rather fine" he said, offering it to her. "I had it made.."

Tara blew into the pipe, resulting in a huge cloud of smoke. When it cleared, Wesley's face was completely black.

Willow erupted into a fit of laughter, almost falling out of her chair.

"Well, Princess Willow" Jenny smiled as she came in to place a jug of water on the table, "That's the first time you've laughed in weeks!"

"Yes, yes it's very amusing" Wesley frowned. "So, what are we having for dinner?"

"Chef Snyder's making his specialty" Jenny grinned. "Stuffed crab!"

* * *

"Oh no!" Sophie gasped. "Giles!"


	16. Kitchen Chaos

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse and Echo :)

* * *

"Don't worry" Tara chuckled, "I have a feeling he'll be okay.."

* * *

Soon after, Giles, now on the kitchen bench, stirred at the sound of humming, and looked to see who was making the sound, and maybe discover the best way out of this horrible place without them seeing him.

The crab peeked around a bowl, finding the source of the noise, a short, skinny, man with an unpleasant face, wearing a Chef's outfit. This was Chef Snyder, Willow's cook. Nobody really liked him, but the Snyders had been cooks for The Royal House Of Rosenberg for generations, so it would have felt wrong to fire him.

"Nouvelle cuisine, les Champes Elysses, Maurice Chevalier..." Snyder read to himself from a cook book as he chopped up a fish. Giles gulped.

Snyder: _**Les poissons',**_

_**Les poissons,**_

_**How I love Les poissons!**_

_**Love to chop,**_

_**And to serve tender fish.**_

_**First I cut off their heads..**_

Giles was on the verge of fainting again.

**_Then I pull out their bones.._**

Giles glanced around desperately. He had to get away from this maniac!

_**Ah mais oui**_

_**Ca c'est toujours delish!**_

_**Les poissons,**_

_**Les poissons,**_

_**Hee hee hee,**_

_**Haw haw haw!**_

_**With the cleaver I hack them in two!**_

The poor crab couldn't take it anymore. He rushed off in the opposite direction, but his path became blocked by a hacked off fish head that flew over and landed in front of him. Panicking, Giles scuttled back the way he had come, but found himself in an even worse position.. hiding under a lettuce leaf near where Snyder was working.

_**I pull out what's inside, **_

_**Then I serve it up fried.**_

_**Oh I love tender fishies,**_

_**Don't you?**_

Giles attempted to sneak away, the lettuce leaf still on top of him.

_**Here's something tempting for the pallet,**_

_**prepared in the classic technique..**_

Snyder grabbed what looked like a hammer.

_**First you pound the fish flat with a mallet,**_

Being too close to the impact, Giles was sent flying into the air.

_**Then you slash through the skin, **_

_**give the belly a slice,**_

Giles landed with a thump, quickly pulling the lettuce leaf back over himself.

_**And you rub some salt in,**_

_**'Cause that makes it taste nice!**_

Snyder moved to get something from the cabinet, when he spotted the lone lettuce leaf, and picked it up to reveal Giles, who quickly withdrew into his shell, trying not to scream as he snatched up in the Chef's hand.

_**Sacre bleu!**_

_**What is this?**_

_**How on Earth could I miss such a sweet little succulent crab?**_

Snyder danced around the kitchen, making Giles dizzy._**  
**_

_**Quel dommage!**_

_**What a loss!**_

_**Here we go,**_

_**In the sauce,**_

Giles yelped as the Chef dunked him into the bowl.

_**Now some flour,**_

_**I think,**_

_**Just a dab!**_

Snyder threw the poor crab in bowl of flower, making him sneeze, before grabbing him again and shoving bread crumbs in his shell.

_**Then I'll stuff you with bread,**_

_**It won't hurt 'cause your dead,**_

_**And you're certainly lucky you are!**_

Giles spat out the bread crumbs, groaning.

**_'Cause it's gonna be hot in my big silver pot,_**

**_Toodle oo,_**

**_Mon poisson,_**

**_Aurevoir!_**

Giles screamed as Snyder tossed him into the pot of boiling water. He just managed to grab the edge with his claw and jumped back out, onto the safety of the bench. Unforunately, Snyder had seen him.

"What the..?" The Chef frowned, picking Giles up again.

Running on pure instinct, Giles clamped a claw on the human's nose.

"Yoooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!" Snyder shrieked, while Giles made a break for freedom. "Oh no, you're not going any where!"

He lunged at Giles, but missed, knocking a sauce pan that fell on his foot.

"Ouch!" He got to his feet, grabbing a cleaver. "I'll get you for that, crab!"

* * *

From the dining room, Willow, Tara, Wesley, and Jenny could hear a series of bangs and crashes.

"Uh, I'll go see what's taking so long.." said Jenny with a nervous chuckle.

* * *

In a matter of minutes, the kitchen had been completely trashed in the battle between Man and Crab. Giles, exhausted and seeing no other option, hid himself on the platter of stuffed crabs about to be taken to the table.

Jenny walked in, gasping at the chaos.

"Snyder, What the hell happened in here?!"

"Well there was this one crab that was still alive and I was.."

Jenny lifted the platter, skeptical.

"Do they look alive to you?"

"No" said Snyder, "But I swear there was.."

Jenny ignored him, carrying the platter out to the table, Giles still hidden within it.

"I've always thought you were nuts.."

* * *

"Phew!" said Sophie, relieved. "That was close!"


End file.
